About

Dr. Michael Curry, Esq. is President & CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, which represents 52 health centers, serving over one million patients out of over 300 practice sites. He was named one of the Boston Business Journal Power 50 Movement Makers of 2023 and 2022, one of Boston’s Most Influential Men of Color by Get Konnected! and one of Boston Magazine’s 150 Most Influential Bostonians in 2023, and a Bostonian of the Year in 2021 (along with his member health centers) by The Boston Globe and Boston Magazine.

During the early battle with the COVID-19 pandemic, Michael was appointed by the Massachusetts Senate to the legislatively created Health Equity Task Force, which he co-chaired, aimed at addressing the health disparities that have been realized and magnified by COVID-19. He was also appointed by then Governor Charlie Baker to the COVID-19 Vaccine Working Group and served on the Department of Public Health’s Health Equity Advisory Group, the City of Boston’s Health Inequity Task Force, and the City of Brockton’s Social Justice Task Force. He gained a reputation for always being the equity voice in the room. The experiences led him to co-found the Health Equity Compact (HEC), a collection of over 80 c-suite leaders of color aimed at driving health equity reform in Massachusetts. In just two years, the HEC filed the first in the nation omnibus health equity reform bill, hosted the state’s first of its kind Health Equity Summit, worked with the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation to publish a Cost of Inequity report (making the business case), and partnered with MassINC. to capture and publish a poll on the topic.

He brings over 30 years of experience and results in civil rights advocacy, health reform and health equity. He is the Immediate Past President of the Boston Branch of the NAACP (2011-2016) with over 25 years of dedicated service to the NAACP on the city, state-area conference and national levels. He was elected to the NAACP Board of Directors in 2014, 2017, 2020, and was recently reelected in 2023 by members from across the country. He serves on the National NAACP’s Executive Committee, and as the appointed Chair of the National Board’s Advocacy & Policy Committee since 2019, Chair of the Constitution and Bylaws Sub-Committee, and Vice-Chair the Political Action and Legislation Committee. On May 15, 2021, the National Board appointed him as Administrator for the New England Area Conference of the NAACP, overseeing the state-area conference and all branches in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Vermont.

Attorney Curry is also an Adjunct Professor at both New England Law Boston teaching “Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession” and Suffolk University’s Moakley Center and Sawyer School of Management teaching a health care management and policy course.

Michael has received numerous local and national awards for leadership and advocacy, and is frequently requested as a keynote speaker and panelist on a wide range of civil rights and health policy issues. In 2023, he received a 2023 Catalyst for Change Award from the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, the SCI Idealist Award and Roxbury Community College’s Community Service Award during commencement. In 2022, he received the Trailblazer Award from the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association (MBLA), a Community Leadership Award from the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action (JALSA), and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Massachusetts Non-profit Network (MNN). His Quantum Leap presentation, which addresses the history of anti-Black racism in America from 1619 to today, is frequently requested. He recently presented to the staff of the Boston Business Journal and NBC Universal’s Black Employee Network (BEN).

Dr. Curry earned a Bachelor of Arts from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota and a Doctorate of Jurisprudence from New England School of Law, and later graduated from the inaugural class of the Executive Leadership Council’s Pipeline to Leadership Program. Earlier this year, he received an honorary degree from William James college. In the spring of 2022 Michael delivered three college commencement speeches and received two honorary degrees: a Doctorate in Business Administration from Curry College and Healthcare Administration from Labouré College.